“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei – Parshas
HaChodesh
Mevorchim Chodesh Nissan – Shabbos Chazak!
24 Adar 5783/March 17, 2023
לזכר נשמת נטע יצחק בן אלכסנדר ז”ל
אברהם יוסף בן נפתלי הערץ ז”ל
This
week’s Musings is dedicated in loving memory of my Sabbah, Mr. Abe Staum a”h,
whose yahrtzeit is this week, 4 Nissan. Among his many other noble attributes,
Sabbah was very conscientious about time. He was always early to shul and never
kept anyone waiting. He was reliable and dependable, respected as a man of his
word and extreme integrity. May his memory be a blessing for his family and the
many who admired and respected him.
IN THE MOMENT
This year, Hashem has blessed me that I was able to publish a Haggadah
with my own thoughts and insights, entitled the Striving Higher Haggadah.
Masterfully produced by Mosaica Publishers, like many Jewish books, it was
published in Eretz Yisroel and sent to the United States via boat. The Haggadah
appeared in stores in Eretz Yisroel a couple of weeks ago. However, the bulk of
the books were delayed in arriving in the United States.
As the weeks slipped by and Pesach continued drawing closer, I became
more anxious about the arrival of the Haggados. Once it gets too close to
Pesach the market for the Haggadah for this year will close and they would have
to wait for next year, when they would no longer be “hot off the press”.
I realized that my concern about my Haggados is actually a lesson to be
gleaned from the Haggadah itself.
Allow me to explain:
The fast-food industry is quite popular these days. People are busy, and
have little patience to wait for anything. The average consumer doesn’t think
about the calories and unhealthy saturated fats the fast-food they are eating
contains. They want their food to be tasty, and ready quickly, so they could
enjoy eating and get back to their day. Eat now; worry later!
Studies show, however, that it is far better to eat slowly and mindfully.
In doing so, not only does one enjoy their food more, but he ends up eating
healthier as well.
There are times of course when we have no choice but to “eat and run” but
we should try to ensure that those times are infrequent.
How strange it is then, that at the Seder we make a big deal, and purposely
recount, the haste in which our ancestors conducted their Seder on the night
before their exodus from Egypt. In addition, Matzah reminds us of the haste in
which they actually left Egypt, not even having a chance to bake bread.
Why is it so important to recall the hurriedness of the redemption?
When someone feels pressured and we want them to relax, we tell them to
take their time. When one has time on his side, he has more control. He can
pace himself and fulfill his task in the manner he wants. Not having time means
not having control. He is forced to work at someone else’s demand and has
little say or control over the proceedings.
The redemption from Mitzrayim happened at a frenzied pace to symbolize
that it was completely divinely orchestrated. True, we had to have incredible
faith to follow Moshe’s lead into the vast desert. But the events of the exodus
were clearly supernatural.
The holiday of Pesach has a great emphasis on time to symbolize the
complete divinity of what occurred. Although Pesach celebrates freedom, freedom
doesn’t translate into anarchy. Rather it’s freedom of the spirit to be able to
allow our souls to become elevated. Such freedom requires physical boundaries
and limitations.
The other message to be learned from the pressure of time limits is that
life is composed of moments that have to be taken advantage of.
On one occasion, someone asked my rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, if he could
convey an ethical message in the style of the rabbinic teachings of Pirkei
Avos. Rabbi Wein replied: “When opportunity knocks, open the door.” (Rabbi Wein
added that the challenge is to determine what is truly an opportunity to take
advantage of and what is not.)
In Megillas Esther, when Mordechai instructs Esther to unlawfully appear
before the king to plead their case, Esther was understandably hesitant.
Nonetheless, Mordechai tells her that this is very likely her moment and she
dare not miss it. His words to her must ring in our ears constantly: “Who knows
if for a moment like this you came into royalty.”
The Haggadah symbolizes this message as well. The redemption happened in
G-d’s time, not ours. Our ancestors waited a long time for the exodus. With
each plague they were disappointed when they thought the time had come, and
then Pharaoh repeatedly reneged. But when the time finally did arrive, it
happened with incredible haste.
Seder night and the story of our exodus remind us that when the moment
arrives, we have to embrace it. If we wait too long, as quickly as dough
becomes leavened, so does the moment and opportunity become leavened and lost.
I am grateful that my Haggados have finally arrived and did not become
“chometz” on the boat. In addition, I’m grateful that I thought of how to
connect my experience waiting for the Haggados to arrive with a Pesach lesson
that I could write about. In this way, I also had the opportunity to get some
free advertising for the Haggadah.
Although this brilliant essay is not in the Haggadah, there are many
other wonderful and inspirational ideas in it. So, make sure to obtain your
copy now. Like redemption itself, don’t delay or you may miss the moment to
transform your Seder and continue striving higher with the Striving Higher
Haggadah.
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Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’
Dani and Chani Staum